All I Want for Christmas is You
by nickelback2001
Summary: Damon has been in love with Elena since high school. Elena is dating Liam, but feels like something is missing from their relationship. Is Christmas the best time to confess his feelings?
1. Friendsgiving

"_And Damon, don't forget to bring the pumpkin pie. I'm not going to make any other desserts this year."_

Damon rolled his eyes, "Yes, mom."

"_You say that, yet you forgot to bring it last year."_

"Yeah, yeah. I'll remember. See you tomorrow, _Elena."_

"_Bye, Damon."_

Damon hung up the phone and sighed. How could one person melt his heart into a pile of goo? He secretly hated that he had feelings for her-he didn't want to be _that guy._ The guy who is trying to fuck his best friend. _But his feelings ran way deeper than that. _Damon loved every single thing about Elena-the way she snorted when she laughed too hard, how she would get a little crinkle in her forehead when she would pretend to be annoyed at him, but most importantly, he loved how much she cared for those around her. If he was having a bad day, she would come over and watch his favorite movies with him until he forgot about it. Just seeing the way her face lit up when she saw him could make Damon instantly happy-it was impossible to feel anything but happiness in her presence-it simply radiated off of her.

Tomorrow was Friendsgiving, and he was dreading it. Sure, he loved every moment that he spent with Elena, and he wanted to see his other friends, but Liam was going to be there. This was their first Friendsgiving since she had started dating Liam, and Damon couldn't help but feel an intense jealousy that boiled his blood every time he saw the guy.

Don't get him wrong, Damon was happy for Elena-_truly. _He saw how happy that Liam made her-she would laugh at his jokes, she would shake her head at his antics, and she would miss him every second that he wasn't with her. _Damon just desperately wished that Elena would look at him in that same way._

* * *

Elena sighed as she got off the phone with Damon. _She was worried about him._ Yet another Thanksgiving was going to come and go, and he still didn't have a girlfriend to bring to it. Every year, he told her that he hadn't met the right girl yet, but Elena wasn't so sure. What made things worse was that he was going to be the only one at Friendsgiving without a significant other this year. Caroline has Klaus, Stefan has Katherine, and she has Liam.

_Liam. _Could the guy get any more perfect? Him and Elena shared the same interests and hobbies, he was a doctor, and he loved her. Could she ask for any more out of a guy?

_Yes,_ the little voice inside of her head told her. She shook the thought away. Elena was prone to setting her standards way to high and one day it was going to leave her single.

* * *

The next day came and Elena whirled around her kitchen, trying to cook five things at the same time. She stirred the cranberry sauce, placed the marshmallows on top of the sweet potato casserole, and _smelled smoke._ The turkey. Elena rushed to the oven and pulled it out, saving the bird just in time.

She heard footsteps and turned around to see Damon, holding a pumpkin pie with a smirk on his face.

"_Need any help?"_ He asked her while chuckling at her disheveled appearance.

"_Yes, _you can make the salad."

"Yes, ma'am."

He chopped the vegetables in silence for a few minutes before he looked up at her. His icy blue eyes met hers and gave her a questioning look.

"So, where's the boy toy? Shouldn't he help host...I mean it's the polite thing to do." Damon joked around with her.

"_Liam, _is caught at work at the moment, but he _assured_ me he would do the dishes."

"Huh, well a gentlemen as always." He said while giving her his sarcastic smile.

Elena rolled her eyes at him, but she knew that he never bought it. She could _never_ stay mad at him, even if she wanted to. Damon had almost a supernatural ability push Elena's buttons _just enough_, but not enough for her to dislike him. It was actually the thing that she loved the most about Damon-he always kept her on her toes.

The two of them worked together, side by side, and managed to finish cooking dinner and set the table right as the doorbell rang. Damon answered it, and Katherine strode in like she owned the place, holding a basket full of dinner rolls. Behind her, Stefan walked in with a jar of jam in each hand. Him and Damon hugged before they went to work making drinks for everyone. After a few minutes, she heard a few knocks on her door and she opened it, revealing Klaus and a very pregnant Caroline with a large bowl of mashed potatoes in hand. They all made small talk, waiting for the last guest to arrive.

_Elena loved her friends. Damon's sarcasm, Stefan's thoughtfulness, Klaus' funny banter, Caroline's extreme organization, and even Katherine's dramatism. Each one was part of the puzzle that completed their little gang, and she couldn't imagine not being friends with one of them. She just hoped that Liam would feel at home with them and not an outsider._

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Elena, she heard footsteps at the door, and Liam walked in. She made her way to him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips, not noticing the expression on Damon's face turn sour.

"Everyone, this is _Liam_." She turned to them, smiling.

"Hi, Liam." They all chorused at the same time.

"Ok, now let's eat, I'm _literally dying_ of starvation at this point." Katherine announced.

They all took their places at the dinner table, Liam and Damon on either side of Elena. Stefan took the head of the table and pulled out his phone, taking a group selfie of Friendsgiving.

They finally dug into their food and that's when the questioning began.

"_So, Liam, how did you and Elena meet?" _Caroline excitedly asked.

"We met online, actually. _She was the prettiest girl on the entire website." _He replied.

"Awww." Caroline cried.

"Why are you eating ham on Thanksgiving?" Katherine inquired.

Before Liam could reply, Elena cut in. "He's allergic to turkey and all poultry, actually."

"That's too bad, _Elena loves fried chicken_." Damon chimed in.

"Well, we all have to make sacrifices for love." Elena said, giving a pointed look at Damon.

Damon just shook his head with a smirk on his lips, and kept on eating.

"Anyway, you two just got engaged," Elena said looking at Klaus and Caroline, "you guys should tell the story of how you met again."

"Well, as you all know, I was here studying abroad from my home in London. I was in a Whole Foods, completely confused about the prices since the currency is so different here. This beautiful blonde girl saw my confusion and came over to help me." Klaus said.

"While examining a pack of trail mix, our fingers touched, and it felt like _magic. _I knew that he was the one for me from that one touch." Caroline added.

"_I felt it too, love."_

They gazed into each other's eyes, clearly madly in love with each other. Elena felt a twinge of sadness bubble up in her-_she had never felt that with Liam._

"We felt that too, didn't we honey." Katherine turned to Stefan, not taking no for an answer.

"From the moment I met you, Katherine, I knew you were special. You're it for me."

Katherine nodded her head, satisfied with his answer.

"Are you ok, Elena?" Liam asked her.

Elena shook herself out of her reverie. What was she thinking? _She loves Liam._ Sure, they don't have a special story of how they met, but it's extremely rare for people to have a special story, right? They lived in the age of online dating and that was the reality for most couples. At least that's what she tried to convince herself.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just really tired from all of this food." She answered him.

The group finished eating, and the guys went and drank beers on Elena's back porch. Elena and Katherine sat with Caroline in the living room in solidarity since she couldn't drink.

"So, what do you guys honestly think of Liam?" Elena asked them.

"You guys are so cute together!" replied Caroline.

"Well if we are being honest…" Katherine started.

"Katherine!" Caroline whisper yelled.

"No, it's ok, Caroline. I want to know what she thinks."

"We all were hoping that maybe you and Damon would…" Katherine winked at her.

"That Damon and I would...oh God, Katherine, no! We're just friends." Elena said.

"If you say so." Katherine remarked.

_Seriously, her and Damon? Damon is her best friend. Sure, they pretended to bicker a lot which could be mistaken for sexual tension to outsiders, but they weren't like that. Were they? Was Elena attracted to Damon? He is very handsome, she can admit that...but did she think of him in that way? She wasn't sure._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the guys coming back inside for dessert. They all gathered around the table again and dug into Damon's pumpkin pie. Elena stared at her plate, still stuck in her thoughts.

Her eyes shifted to Damon's hand that was cutting to the pie with a fork. _Yeah, Damon has nice hands, sure. They're large and some his veins pop out which many people find attractive. And yeah, he has nice eyes too. Not many people have blue eyes that blue._

While stuck in her musings, Elena accidentally knocked a fork off of the table. Her and Damon reached down to pick it up at the same time, and their fingers ended up brushing against each other. _And Elena felt it._

* * *

I hope that you guys like this chapter! Parts of the dinner scene were inspired by _Sleepless in Seattle_ which I highly recommend if you have never watched it!


	2. Plans

Electricity ran up Elena's hand where her skin had touched Damon's. She met his icy gaze and felt her cheeks burn from the intensity of his eyes boring into hers. She quickly looked away and continued to eat her slice of pie, trying to pretend like nothing happened.

The only person who seemed to catch the interaction was Stefan, and he looked at Elena with an inquisitive expression on his face. She pretended not to notice, and he frowned and dropped it.

The hardest part was sitting so close to Damon. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweating from her overthinking-she needed a breather.

She stepped outside on the porch and heard footsteps behind her. She turned, and luckily it was not Damon, but his brother, Stefan.

"Are you ok, Elena? It seemed like something was bothering you."

"When you first met Katherine...did you feel what Caroline and Klaus felt? Like _magic_ when you touch?"

"Well, it wasn't right away...it was gradual. When I developed feelings for her, that's when I felt it."

Elena nodded her head. _Well, great._

"Why do you ask? Do you not feel that with Liam?"

Elena looked at him guiltily, "No."

"Do you feel that way with someone else?"

Elena's expression turned guiltier, "_Stefan, you cannot tell anyone about this."_

"I promise I won't. Pinky swear."

"IjustaccidentallytouchedDamon'shandanditfeltlikethat." Elena sputtered.

"Ok, well I didn't catch any of that." Stefan chuckled.

"I just accidentally touched Damon's hand and it felt like that. But I have a boyfriend, and Damon's my best friend, and I have no clue what these feelings mean. It would ruin our friendship, so you can't tell him, Stefan, even though he's your brother."

"I promise I won't tell him, but I think you should talk to him about it."

"Thanks, Stefan. You're a good friend."

"No problem." He replied and walked back inside to join the others.

Elena stayed outside to reflect some more. _Does she have feelings for Damon? I mean yeah, she loves him as a friend, but could there be more? She had known him for the better part of ten years at this point, surely she would have realized if she was in love with him at this point. Unless, he was one of those crushes that you have at a subconscious level. God, why did she have to overthink everything?_

She went back inside, and as promised, Liam was in her kitchen doing the dishes. What surprised her more was that Damon was right next to him, drying the plates. _That was weird. Damon never liked Liam._

"Hey, are you alright? You practically ran out." Liam asked her.

"Oh yeah, I'm good. I just felt a little sick from how much food I've eaten." She told him.

Damon glanced back at her and looked unconvinced. He could always tell when she was lying. But he didn't say anything.

She kissed Liam's cheek and sat down with the others in the living room. They all stared at Elena, so Stefan broke the silence for her.

"So, what's everyone's plans for Black Friday shopping this year?" He asked.

"I'm always tired because of this one," Caroline said, patting her stomach, "so Klaus and I are going to stay home this year."

"Well, you know me Stef, I don't shop sales." Katherine told him.

"Yes, I'm well aware." He laughed.

Everyone turned to look at Elena.

"Well, I want to go, but Liam has an early shift at the hospital that next morning." She said.

"Damon isn't doing anything that night. You should see if he'll go with you." Stefan told her.

Elena gave Stefan a look that meant not to bring _him _up. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

Damon appeared behind her. "Yeah, I'll go with you, Elena. I got to make sure you don't get into any fights over the new X-box." He teased her.

"Yeah, right. More like I'm going to have to kick someone's ass for you when _you _start the fight."

"Well, I always did like seeing a girl fight."

She smacked him. He raised his hands up in surrender.

The two of them were stuck in their own little world while everyone else stared at them with smirks on their faces, the tension thick in the air.

Elena came back to reality when she felt Liam's hand gently touch her arm. She focused on the feeling of his hand-desperately trying to feel _something_. She would even settle for a slight tingle. _Elena was frustrated with herself. _How could her body not respond to his touch like it had responded to..._ugh, she didn't want to think about it._ Damon is her best friend and just thinking about him in that way would mean the end of their friendship.

"Elena? Did you hear anything I just said?" Liam asked her.

"Oh, sorry. I spaced out for a second there. What did you say?"

"Do you want to spend the real Thanksgiving at my parents' house? They've been _dying _to meet you. All they do is ask when I'm bringing you home." He laughed.

"Yeah, I would like that," she glanced at Damon, "and then Damon can come pick me up to go Black Friday shopping."

Liam didn't seem that enthusiastic about the prospect of Elena spending the whole night with Damon, but he didn't say anything to her.

"Sounds like a plan, Gilbert. Just to warn you, _I can go all night."_ Damon smirked.

Liam frowned, and Elena smacked Damon again although she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

"_I meant shopping. You have such a dirty mind." _Damon tsked at her.

The rest of the group just gawked at the three of them, wondering how Damon and Elena had not fucked at least once at this point. _At least that's what Katherine was thinking, Caroline's thoughts were much more pure. And Stefan and Klaus bowed their heads for their fallen soldier-Damon was knee deep in the friendzone._

Eventually everyone made their way home, including Liam who had an early shift the next day. Elena was left alone with her thoughts. _Thanksgiving was in just two days, and her intuition told her something big was going to happen._

**A/N: Thanks for all the nice reviews, it means a lot!**


	3. Black Friday

"You have a lovely home, Mr. and Mrs. Davis." Elena told Liam's parents while she stared around the mansion in amazement.

Liam came from a long line of doctors, and _the house showed it._ The floors were marble, chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and there was a giant tapestry on the wall that looked like it was hand-spun by Athena herself. Growing up, Elena's family wasn't necessarily poor, but they weren't rich by any means either. She couldn't imagine what it was like growing up in a home with so much grandeur.

"Thanks, Elena. And it's so great to finally meet you. Liam has told us so much about you." Mrs. Davis said, her eyes sparkling with joy.

They all sat down at the dining room table for dinner-the table set looked like it cost more than her entire year's rent. The table and chairs were mahogany with carved decorations in the wood, and the seat cushions were made out of a red silk. Elena had never felt so out of place at a Thanksgiving dinner-usually her Thanksgiving dinners consisted of mismatched chairs to accommodate all of the extra guests and plastic fold up tables to extend the length of the table. Liam's parents were pleasant people, but there was something about the atmosphere that was less inviting.

Their personal chef came out of the kitchen and brought in the _first course_-a salad that had blueberries and goat cheese. _Man, Elena was not used to a Thanksgiving like this._ She loved the mashed potatoes with gravy, dinner rolls that were slathered in butter, and especially her mom's secret mac and cheese recipe.

_Don't get her wrong, Elena was grateful for his parents' hospitality-she just wished that she felt more at home with her boyfriend's family._

The second course came and it was more decadent that the last. Instead of a turkey, the chef brought each of them a whole roasted quail with a rose petal sauce.

"The food is delicious." Elena told his parents.

"Thank you, our chef was trained in Paris and lived there for fifteen years." Mr. Davis replied.

"Oh, wow. I've always wanted to go to Paris." She said.

"You should come with us on our Christmas trip! We always stop there after we go skiing in the Swiss Alps." Mrs. Davis exclaimed.

"You don't have to if you don't want to of course, but I would really love it if you came with us, Elena." Liam told her.

"Wow, I would really love to...but I don't even have a passport since I've never been out of the country."

"We can figure something out." His mother assured Elena.

Elena nodded her head and smiled at the woman, but internally she was frowning. She had just met his family, and now she was going to Europe with them. Everything felt like it was moving so fast in their relationship that it felt like Elena's head was literally spinning.

"Excuse me for a minute." Elena said while she rushed to the bathroom.

And just like that, her entire meal was gone.

Elena didn't know this, but a new conversation was happening at the dining room table.

"_Here's the ring."_ Liam said to his parents while showing them a fourteen karat diamond that was practically a rock.

"Awwww." His mother cried.

"Congrats, son. Elena is a lovely girl." His father told him.

"I'm going to propose on Christmas day…"

Elena made it back to the table just as Mrs. Davis was wiping tears away from her eyes. The chef brought out dessert-baked apples that were carved into roses and topped with powdered sugar. She made small talk with Liam and his parents, but she felt exhausted from trying to keep up with high society musings.

The hours passed by as they retired for the evening in the living room which was just as formal as the rest of the house. Every so often, Elena would check the time on her phone, waiting for Damon to spring her out of more small talk. She felt bad about the way she felt-_she liked Liam and his family is really nice. _But they came from two different worlds, and Elena wasn't sure how long she could try to fit into his.

She felt a buzz in her pocket-_Damon._

"_You ready to go hit some sales or some people ;)"_

Elena laughed at his message which she tried to hide with coughing.

"My friend is here...thank you so much for having me." Elena said while giving everyone a hug goodbye.

She walked outside and saw Damon's Camaro parked on the street. Before she had a chance to open the passenger door, Damon was out of the car, holding it open for her.

"Chivalry isn't dead I guess." Elena laughed.

Damon smirked and shrugged, "I try."

He started the car, and they headed to their first destination-Walmart. Elena wanted to replace her crappy T.V., and Damon really did want to check out the new X-box.

The two of them walked into the store and headed to the line that was forming for the televisions.

"Ok, Elena. Game Plan. I'll distract that old lady with my charm and good looks, and you make a break for it and grab one." He whispered in her ear.

Elena shook her head and laughed, "How about I distract that man right there with _my charm and good looks, _and you grab one for _me_."

"I don't know if that's going to work, Elena. I mean the money maker is right here." He said while pointing to his face.

She playfully slapped his arm and laughed at him which caught the attention of the lady right in front of them.

"You two are such a cute couple." She turned and smiled at them.

"Oh, we're not…" Elena started.

"_Thanks." _Damon said to her while taking Elena's hand in his own.

Flames erupted across Elena's skin at Damon's touch. Her heart started to pound, and she felt her cheeks flush with color.

The lady had turned back around, but Damon had not let go of her hand yet. He stepped closer to her so that their bodies were mere inches apart. His face leaned in, and Elena's breath hitched at his close proximity.

"_Just go with it." _He whispered in her ear.

Elena and Damon spent the rest of the night pretending that they were a couple-they held hands, acted like they were buying items for their nonexistent first house, and at one point, they even pretended that Elena was pregnant.

Oddly enough, pretending to be in a relationship with Damon was the most fun that Elena had in awhile. _More fun than her real relationship, the little voice in the back of her head told her. _

_Ugh, but it's not like that relationship is real, she said back to the voice. If her and Damon were actually a thing, it wouldn't be all fun and games the entire time._

_But, it could be like that, it told her._

She didn't even know if Damon thought about her in that way. Yeah, he "flirted" with her a lot, but that could also be seen as a platonic friend thing.

They went to several more stores, and ended up at a McDonald's at 4 a.m. to drink coffee and eat the apple pies. They sat in Damon's Camaro in the parking lot in a comfortable silence, eating their meal.

"Come here, you have an eyelash." Damon said as he brushed his thumb across her cheekbone, a little too long.

Desire burned in Elena's veins. All she wanted to do in that moment was to wrap her arms around him and kiss him senseless, but she knew there was no going back if she did that-with Damon or Liam.

"Crazy how that lady thought we were a couple, right?" He said, his body still leaned in close to hers.

"Right." Elena said huskily as she swallowed.

Elena felt her body involuntarily inch closer to Damon's-their faces a few inches apart. She could feel his hot breath, and her heart raced with anticipation. Their eyes drifted shut and their lips were nearly touching...until her phone started to loudly ring.

Their bodies immediately shifted back to their original positions, and Elena answered her phone. _It was Liam checking up on her before he left for his hospital shift._

Her body flushed with guilt-_she was about to cheat on her boyfriend._ God, she felt like a bad person. For Elena, cheating was right up there with murder.

Damon drove Elena back to her apartment in silence. They reached her place, and she turned her head to face him.

"Thanks for going with me tonight, Damon. I had a really good time."

"No problem." He quietly said, looking down.

And he drove away, leaving Elena still breathless.


	4. The Next Day

"What's so important that you _had_ to pull me from my Gossip Girl binge with Stefan?" Katherine asked, not trying to hide her annoyance.

Caroline shot a look at Katherine. "What Katherine means is...what is wrong, Elena? You seemed pretty freaked on the phone."

Elena sighed, "Damon and I…"

"Well spit it out." Katherine said.

"_Almost kissed last night." _She let out the breath she didn't know that she was holding.

"Oh my God! That's great, Elena!" Caroline exclaimed.

"No, it's not Caroline. I'm dating Liam and...I don't even think Damon feels that way about me. I mean, I don't even know what I feel for him. _Everything is just so complicated."_

"Just screw Damon and see if he's better than Liam." Katherine said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Don't listen to her, but...is Liam good in bed? It's definitely a factor...I mean, I knew that Klaus was the one after the first time." Caroline asked her.

"Actually...we haven't yet." Elena said, looking at her hands.

"What?!" Katherine blurted out.

"That's totally ok...but what's the holdup? I mean it's not like you haven't had sex before…" Caroline asked her.

"I'm not sure...I mean, we've only been dating for two months. I guess the right moment has just never happened. _I want it to be special."_

"Then breakout some candles and _get down to business."_ Katherine said while wagging her eyebrows.

"I wish it were that simple...ugh, I just can't get Damon out of my head since…" Elena started.

"Since what? Last night?" Caroline implored.

"Since...Friendsgiving. My hand accidentally brushed against his and well…"

Caroline covered her mouth with her hands in excitement. "Elena Gilbert! _You felt it didn't you?!"_

Elena's cheeks turned red. "Well, it was definitely something…"

"Well, it's settled then. You have to go tell Damon how you feel." Katherine announced.

_What did she feel for Damon though? Obviously, she is very attracted to him. But did she feel more than that? Every time she was around him, he was able to put a smile on her face-he was the only person in the world capable of that. There was just something about him that made Elena feel comfortable-she could truly be herself around him. And yeah, she cared about him more than anyone in the world, but that was what best friends are for, right?_

"I'll think about it." Elena decided.

Elena sat in her bedroom alone a few hours later after Katherine and Caroline left. Her mind reeled with thoughts as she tried to decipher her feelings for Damon. Her eyes fell upon a framed picture of the two of them from high school that was sitting on her dresser. His arm was slung around Elena's shoulders in front of his brand new car on his sixteenth birthday. _God, they looked so young. And happy. _Warmth spread throughout her body from looking at the old photo. For the past ten years, Damon had been a constant in her life-admittedly, sometimes a constant annoyance-but he was always there for her when it truly mattered.

Thinking about Damon put a smile on her face. _She had to go see him, she decided._ When she saw his face, she would know how she felt about him.

* * *

Damon sighed as he thought about the previous night. _He was so close to telling Elena how he feels, and he blew it. _

He sat in his living room nursing a glass of bourbon when he heard three faint knocks on his front door. He walked over and opened it, revealing his friend Andie who was a co-worker of his. She looked disheveled-her hair was messy, her buttons of her shirt were done wrong, and mascara was smeared underneath her eyes.

"Hey, Andie...what are you doing here?" He asked her awkwardly.

"I'm so sorry to barge in," she said while walking past him into his house, "but I've had the _worst _day."

She sat down on his couch and grabbed his glass of bourbon, gulping it down in seconds.

"Make yourself at home." He muttered to himself.

She ignored his comment. "Me and Logan just had the biggest fight. I think he wants to call off the wedding." She cried.

"If you don't mind me asking...what was the fight about?" Damon asked her.

"He..found..out..about..Mike." She said while hiccuping.

"Who's Mike?"

"My kinda boyfriend. _I was gonna end it with Mike though, I swear."_

"Why did you come here, Andie?" Damon said while sighing.

"Well…" she started as she walked over to stand next to him, "you're one of my best guy friends, Damon. And well, you always make me feel better."

Andie got closer to Damon, _uncomfortably close. _She wrapped her arms around him in a hug which he returned to be polite. But then, she took him by surprise and crushed her lips against his.

* * *

Elena was hyping herself up in her car. She was parked right outside of his house, and she went through all of the different possibilities of what she could say to him.

"_Hi, Damon, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since Friendsgiving, and I was wondering how you feel about that."_

"_Hi, I know this is random, but do you have feelings for me?"_

"_Hi, Damon, I can't stop thinking about how I want to kiss you."_

Ugh, this was going to be harder than she thought. What do you say to your best friend that you almost kissed last night? Elena decided to just show up on his doorstep and let him make his own assumptions.

She stepped out of her car and noticed that there was another one parked in his driveway next to his Camaro that she didn't recognize. _That was weird, who would Damon have over at this time of night? _

Elena walked up to his front door and peered through the window like a creep. She couldn't help it-she was just curious she tried to convince herself. Standing next to Damon was an attractive woman whose skirt was pretty short. _Not that she cared, she told herself. _The woman wrapped her arms around Damon in a hug which he returned. _And then they kissed._

Elena felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. _She felt like such a fool. _Here she was, standing in front of her best friend's front door, ready to confess her love for him...Elena covered her mouth with her hands in shock.

_She's in love with Damon. Of course she is. How could she not be? _

It felt like a veil had been lifted, and Elena could suddenly see the world around her clearly. For the past ten years, all of the signs had been pointing towards Damon-she was just blind to it at the time even though all of her friends could see their connection.

_Damon was the perfect man for her-he knew her better than anyone else, sometimes even better than herself. He had the ability to make any situation fun-Damon made her life adventurous, and sometimes a little dangerous in a way that excited her. He was the most passionate person she had ever met-it was one of the qualities she most admired about him. _

_There wasn't a man out there better than Damon. How did she not realize that sooner?_

Elena remembered the situation at hand. Intense jealousy flooded overtook her body. She couldn't even bear to look back into the house. She ran back to her car and started the journey back to her apartment.

As she was driving, tears involuntarily ran down her cheeks. _She was in love with a man she couldn't be with. _Elena felt like a fool.

* * *

Damon pushed Andie off of him. "What the hell, Andie?!"

Andie started to cry again. "I'm sorry...I'll just go."

He held the front door open for her as she walked out of his house. Damon poured himself a new glass of bourbon and sat back down on the couch, not knowing what that visit from Andie had just cost him.


	5. O Christmas Tree

Two weeks had gone by since Elena had shown up to Damon's house. The image of Damon kissing _that woman _had haunted her mind since. _She felt like an idiot._ Damon hadn't given her any inclination that he had feelings for her-her damn eternal optimism had gotten the best of her again.

_So what if Damon was seeing other women? _Elena herself was seeing someone-_Liam. _

She flopped on her bed and sighed. _What was she going to do about Liam? _He was still her boyfriend, but she was in love with _Damon. _Elena decided not to make any rash decisions about Liam-_she couldn't be with Damon even if she wanted to._

She hadn't talked to Damon since the night she spent with him, and she was itching to reach over to her phone and call him. This was the longest that they had ever gone without talking to each other. _She desperately missed him._

Elena ended up reaching for her phone anyway and sighed when she saw the date. It was already well into December, and she had been putting off the inevitable-_putting up her Christmas tree._

It had become a tradition for Damon to help put her Christmas tree up. Her parents had died in a car crash when she was in high school, and her brother, Jeremy, had moved to the opposite side of the country the first chance her could get, so Elena had no one to put it up with. Damon made an excuse on why he _had _to come help her, and he had helped her ever since.

"_Who's going to put the star on the top? You're short, and I sure as hell am not letting you get on a ladder. Those things are a death trap."_

Elena knew it was an excuse because Damon was barely three inches taller than her.

_She thought about calling Liam to come help her. That was useless though-Liam was only halfway through his shift at the hospital according to his weekly schedule he sent her. _

_So, there was only one option-Elena was going to have to put up her Christmas tree by herself._

Elena went to her closet and pulled out all of her Christmas decorations that were in the very back. Had the tree always been this heavy? _She remembered that usually Damon carried it to her living room for her…_

She was on the verge of a breakdown and not putting up the tree at all. But then she remembered all the memories she had of the tree that she had with her parents, and it would make her more sad not to have it up at all.

Elena went to work setting up the tree stand and starting to fluff out the branches. After she was finished, she stood on one of her dining room chairs and attempted to wrap the string of colored lights around the tree. God, this was harder than Elena thought. _She needed Damon…_

Her pride got the best of her and she pushed away the thought. _She could do this._

After almost knocking over the tree three times, Elena managed to have the Christmas lights on the tree and working. Now, it was time for the ornaments which had always been her favorite part growing up. _It had also been her favorite part to do with Damon. He would make fun of her ornaments that she had created in her childhood, and sometimes they would make salt dough ornaments themselves to keep up her family tradition. Damon would always make inappropriate ones like the one time he made a gingerbread woman who was a stripper. He always had put a smile on her face during the hardest time of the year for her._

This was starting to become the saddest Christmas in the history of Christmases for Elena. Christmas was a time to be happy with family and friends, and here she was spending it by herself.

_She could breakdown once she finished, she reminded herself._

As fast as humanly possible, Elena hung all of her ornaments-the fancy ones her mom would purchase at post-Christmas sales, the ones that had baby pictures of her and Jeremy framed in them, and all of the plastic filler bulbs. Usually, she savored the process of hanging ornaments-her and Damon would take hot chocolate breaks and even the occasional dance break to Christmas music they were listening to. But this year, Elena wanted nothing more than to be done.

She didn't even take time to admire her completed project-Elena curled up on her couch and cried herself to sleep. She cried about her parents, she cried about Jeremy, but most importantly, she cried about _Damon._

* * *

Damon was confused. Elena hadn't spoken to him since Black Friday which was two weeks ago. Even when she was mad at him, she never avoided him for so long. Had he done something wrong?

He thought back to that night and their _almost kiss._ _Just the thought left Damon biting his lip in anticipation._

Elena must feel extremely guilty about their almost kiss because of _Liam. _Ugh, his name left a sour taste in Damon's mouth. _But that had to be it. _

Should he go to her? Confess his love to her?

Damon decided to just go see the reason behind her silence. _He missed her._

He hopped into his Camaro and headed to Elena's apartment-a drive that he had made thousands of times over the years.

Damon parked on the street and headed to her front door. Right when he had raised his hand and was about to knock, he noticed colored lights coming from the inside of the apartment. He stepped closer to the window and peered inside to see its source. _It was her Christmas tree._

Damon was hurt. _Extremely hurt. _It was _their_ tradition to put up her Christmas tree. _Liam must have helped her put it up this year._ He pictured Elena and Liam laughing while singing to Christmas music, making salt dough ornaments together, and _kissing_ in front of the fire place when they finished their decorating. White hot jealousy boiled Damon's blood at the image.

Yeah, Elena now had a boyfriend, but he thought that some traditions would remain _theirs._

He got back into his Camaro and drove back home, _heartbroken._

* * *

Damon sat on his couch, nursing a glass of bourbon like he always did when he was upset. He felt a buzz from his phone right next to him. _Hopefully, it was Elena with an explanation._

He looked at his phone-_it was not Elena. _It was a text from a phone number he didn't recognize.

"_Hi, this is Rose, I'm a friend of Klaus. He was telling me about you, and I decided that I needed to meet you in person. Would you like to get drinks sometime?"_

Under normal circumstances, Damon would have turned her down. How could he think about other women when _the most perfect one _was right in front of him? But, Damon was _hurt._ He felt betrayed by Elena for breaking one of their most important traditions. So, he responded to Rose.

"_Sounds great. I'll pick you up at 8 tomorrow."_

* * *

**Thanks for all of the great reviews! I really appreciate it!**


	6. Christmas Shopping

_Five days until Christmas…_

It had felt like Elena had been in the mall for an eternity. She had put off her Christmas shopping until the last minute which was so unlike her.

Part of the reason was that she was procrastinating getting a gift for Damon. Today marked the third week she hadn't spoken to him, and it was starting to drive her crazy. _Why hadn't he called her either? _He was probably too busy being shacked up with _that woman._

Even though they weren't currently on speaking terms, she still decided to buy him a present. _He was still her best friend even if she was head over heels for him while he wasn't._

She hadn't the slightest idea what to get him though. _What do you buy the man you are desperately in love with? _And that's why she had been at the mall for two hours already.

Her and her friends were also doing Secret Santa, but her and Damon had the tradition of still getting each other presents since they were so close.

She had gotten Caroline which was easy-the very pregnant woman wanted anything baby related. So, Elena picked out girly baby clothes that she knew that Caroline would adore.

There was also _Liam _to shop for. But he was simple as well-Liam was a wine connoisseur, so she bought him a fancy bottle and a decanter.

_So that left Damon._ Damon loved things that held sentimental value, so Elena knew she had to get him something special. What that was, she didn't know.

She walked around the mall some more, stopping into various shops that she thought would pique his interest.

_Video game store? _Nope.

_Jewelry store? _Nope.

_Clothing store? _Nope.

Elena's hope for finding a present that day was starting to dwindle. At this point, it felt like she had been in every single store that their mall offered at least twice. _Until one store that was hidden in a corner had caught her eye…_

It was one of those antique bookstores that no one ever went into. She went inside and began searching through the shelves of leather bound books, looking for..._she found it._

One thing that Damon almost never talked about was how close he was to his mother before she passed away. One of her favorite books was Margaret Mitchell's _Gone With the Wind_ which he told Elena that she read to him frequently as a child. To this day, it was his favorite book, but he didn't have a nice copy of it anymore.

Elena bought the book and walked out of the store with a smile on her face.

* * *

Damon finally managed to drag himself to the mall to go Christmas shopping. He was dreading picking out a present for Elena. No matter how mad he was at her, there was no way that he wasn't going to buy her a gift.

He also had to buy a present for his brother, Stefan, who was his Secret Santa this year. _That was easy though. _Stefan also shared an affinity for drinking bourbon, and he needed as much as he could get since he lived with Katherine. So, Damon bought him a bottle and started his quest for Elena's gift.

_He wanted to get Elena something special. Something that would mean much more to her than whatever Liam bought her._

If he knew one thing about Elena, it was that she didn't like super flashy gifts. Elena was down to earth, and his present to her needed to reflect that.

He passed by a jewelry store and stared at the display case. His eyes focused on a simple diamond ring with a silver band. _Maybe one day, he thought to himself._

Damon walked into the store and looked around some more. An older looking man with a name tag that read _Jeff_ approached him.

"Looking for a Christmas present, son? Perhaps a ring?"

"Not quite...but I am looking for a present for my...friend, Elena." Damon's voice caught on the word friend. There wasn't really a word in the English language that described Elena's importance to him.

"Would your friend like something like this?" Jeff asked him while holding a diamond necklace.

"She's not really a diamond necklace kind of girl."

"I know what you mean. I think we have something perfect for her in the back." He said with a twinkle in his eye before he went to retrieve the piece of jewelry.

Jeff came back holding a necklace with a silver oval locket. It looked quite similar to the locket that Elena used to wear everyday that her parents had given to her for her birthday. A couple years back, Elena lost the locket and was _extremely _upset-it was one of the only items that she had left that her parents had given her. Damon wanted to give Elena this locket so that she could have a little piece of her parents back. And maybe even a little piece of him too.

"_It's perfect."_ Damon told Jeff in awe.

"We can engrave it too if that's something that you would be interested in."

"That would be great. I would like to have the words _From Damon With Love_ engraved on the back."

After a few minutes, Jeff returned from the back with the newly engraved locket in hand. Damon completed the purchase and was about to leave when he heard the man call out to him.

"_Good luck, son."_

Damon shook his head while he walked away. This present wasn't necessarily a confession of his love even though he wished that it could be. Until Elena broke up with Liam, all his gifts to her had to be strictly a best friend thing.

While lost in his thoughts, Damon felt his body collide with another. He started to apologize before he could even see his victim.

"I'm really sorry...Elena?"

There in the flesh and blood stood Elena who was rubbing her forehead in pain. Without thinking, Damon stepped forward and touched Elena's head, examining her injury. He ignored the sparks he felt in his fingertips from touching her skin-he was currently more worried about accidentally giving her a concussion. She took a step back from him even though it looked like she didn't want to.

"I'll be fine, Damon."

Elena was about to step around him to continue walking, but he caught her wrist.

"Hey, what's with the silent treatment? You've been ignoring me for three weeks." Damon asked her.

"I've just been really busy with the holidays and all." She told Damon, but he was unconvinced-he could always tell when she was lying. "What have you been up to?"

_What have you been up to? That was it?_

"I actually just had a date recently. Her name is Rose."

Elena's expression hardened. "Oh, that's great. How did that go?"

Truthfully, Damon had hated every second of the date. Don't get him wrong, Rose was a lovely person. She was attractive and funny, and he could probably list a hundred reasons of why he _should _be dating her. The only problem with her was one simple thing: _she wasn't Elena._

"It was actually pretty good. Rose is great."

Elena wiped at her eye after his comment, "Stupid damn eyelash in my eye. Well, I gotta run. You should bring her to the Christmas party." She told him.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll see you then."

_Damon would see Elena again at her Christmas party in two days, and he was already counting down the minutes._


	7. The Christmas Party

_Two days until Christmas…_

Elena shouldn't have tried to apply eyeliner when she was angry. She was currently getting ready for her Christmas party that began in an hour, and she couldn't focus. _Not when all she could think about was that Rose woman she told Damon to bring._

Damn, she somehow had gotten eyeliner near her eyebrow. Time to start over, _again._

Once Elena had _finally _finished her makeup, she pulled on her red bodycon dress that Caroline had lent her since she couldn't fit it over her pregnant belly.

Soon after, Elena's guests began to arrive: Caroline and Klaus, Stefan and Katherine, Liam, and lastly Damon. Her heart fluttered at the fact that he had walked through the door alone, but then she saw a woman walk in behind him, and jealousy flooded her body.

_The woman, Rose she presumed, was beautiful. Her hair was dark and cropped short, her eyes were large and a blue green, and many people would kill for her cheekbones. Elena hated that she was so attractive._

"Earth to Elena!" Caroline said, waving her hands in front of her face. "Are you okay?"

Elena brought her eyes away from Rose. "Yeah, I'm good."

Caroline looked over to what Elena was staring at. "_I know. _Don't worry, I yelled at Klaus for introducing them."

"It's fine...it was my idea for him to bring her anyway."

"What?! Why would you give Damon that idea when _you're in love with him_?" Caroline asked her, whispering the last part.

"Apparently, I'm a masochist." Elena sighed as she stared at the two of them chatting.

Eventually, they all sat down in Elena's living room and exchanged their gifts for Secret Santa. Caroline loved the baby clothes that Elena had gotten her-she was on the verge of crying because of her hormones. Damon got Stefan a bottle of bourbon, Stefan got Elena a Polaroid camera, Katherine got Klaus a set of new paintbrushes, Caroline got Katherine a new perfume, and Klaus got Damon new glasses for his bourbon. Rose and Liam chatted in the corner while the gang traded their presents.

"...and then I ended up falling the rest of the way down the mountain." Rose laughed.

"What are you two talking about?" Elena asked as she went over to Liam and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Rose was just telling me about her ski trip to Utah last year. You know, you should really consider going to the Swiss Alps sometime-it's my favorite place to ski." Liam told Rose.

"That's crazy that you mention the Swiss Alps! I was just planning a trip there!" Rose said.

Elena smiled at the two of them and left the conversation. _What was up with everyone and skiing?_

She walked over to the food table and began fidgeting with the placement of the dishes and cups. Elena felt a presence on her right side. She knew it was Damon without even looking up.

"You know, I got a present for you." He told her.

"I got a present for you, too." She said.

"_Well, at least one of our traditions remained intact this year." _Damon remarked.

Elena turned to face him, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, your Christmas tree didn't put itself up. I'm assuming a certain doctor helped you with that one."

"Actually...I put the tree up all by myself this year." Elena told him.

"_Why would you do that?"_

"It doesn't matter." Elena said nonchalantly.

She turned to walk away, but Damon caught her wrist, holding her in place.

"Elena look at me...what did I do wrong?"

Elena met his gaze, "Trust me, you didn't do anything wrong, Damon. I'm just going through some things right now."

Damon stared at her unconvinced. "_Elena...you know I can always tell when you are lying."_

"Okay, okay. I might've gone to your house a few weeks ago...and I saw you kissing a woman."

"What?" Damon started, but then he remembered his encounter with Andie. "Oh, that was my engaged friend Andie who came on to me, but I rejected her."

"Oh," was all that Elena could say.

"But Elena, why would that matter in the first place? _Do you have feelings for me?"_

"I…" Elena started, but was cut off by Caroline's voice.

"We should play a game! What about the one where we see how well we know our partner!" She exclaimed.

Damon gave Elena a look that said _later_ before sitting next to Rose in the circle that the group of friends formed. Elena joined Liam and sat there, nervously fidgeting with her hands. _Damon was on to her._

"Okay...so the rules of the game are that your partner gets first guess of the answer, but if they get it wrong, anyone else can guess." Caroline said.

"I'll go first," Katherine announced, "Stefan, ask me a question about you."

"Umm...what is my _second _favorite color?"

"_Easy. _Green." Katherine said.

"That is..._correct." _Stefan declared.

"Okay, one point for Katherine. How about you go next, Elena." Caroline said.

Elena looked at Liam and thought for a second, "What was the name of the dog I had growing up?"

"Hmmm...Max?" Liam guessed.

"That's wrong, so I guess anyone can answer now?" Elena said.

Everyone sat there thinking until Damon spoke up.

"It's a trick question. Elena, you did not have a dog growing up." He smirked.

"That's right." Elena said, trying not to make eye contact with him.

"So, that's one point for Damon. How about you go, Rose." Caroline said.

"Okay...what is my favorite food, Damon?" Rose asked.

"Is it pizza?"

"Oh, so close. _Pizza is my second favorite food." _Rose said.

Liam decided to take a guess, "You look like a sushi kind of girl."

"That's right!" Rose exclaimed.

"One point for Liam," Caroline said and turned to Klaus, "Ask me a question, babe."

"Hmmm...where is my favorite place to go back home?" He asked.

"_That's so easy. _Liverpool, because you are _obsessed_ with The Beatles."

"Correct," Klaus said and kissed her.

"Okay, Katherine, it's your turn to ask Stefan a question." Caroline said.

"_Stefan, what do I despise most in the world?"_

"Ummm…." Stefan started.

"C'mon Stef, I'm not getting any younger here." Katherine said, sarcastically.

"Oh, that's right. The inevitability of aging."

"_Correct." _She said, pleased.

"...okay, one point for Stefan." Caroline announced.

Liam went next. "Elena, what am I most allergic to?"

"Bees. You'll die if one stings you." She said.

"That's correct." Liam said, smiling.

Damon turned to Rose, "What is my biggest fear?"

"_Spiders?" _She guessed.

"Not quite." Damon said while staring at Elena.

Elena sighed before answering, "Your biggest fear is _sharks_ because of the movie _Jaws_, Damon."

"_Precisely." _He said.

"Okay, my turn," Caroline started, "Klaus, what is my zodiac sign?"

"_That's easy, love. You are a Libra."_

"_Correct." _She smiled.

The group went for several more rounds, Damon and Elena answering all of each other's questions.

"Okay, Caroline. What are all of my siblings' names?" He asked her.

"Finn, Elijah, Kol, Rebekah, _oh."_

"_What is it, love?"_

"...I think my water just broke." Caroline said in surprise.

Klaus' eyes widened, and the rest of the group stared at Caroline in shock. She managed to get on her feet, and she dragged a stunned Klaus up with her.

"Thanks for having us, Elena." Caroline said while clutching her stomach.

"Thanks for coming, Care. _Update us, Klaus." _

"Uh huh." He said, still in surprise.

They left for the hospital, and the group stared at each other until Stefan spoke.

"_Well, I need a drink."_

Stefan and Damon broke out the bourbon, Rose and Liam chatted about Europe, and Elena and Katherine stood in the corner, watching it all play out.

"So, you look hot today. _Any reason?" _Katherine smirked.

Elena felt her face flush, "Look, I can't tell him. He's with Rose now and…"

"...and you're a coward. _He was flirting with you the entire game."_

Elena looked over to Damon who was debating the best bourbon with Stefan. Damon was talking with his hands in his usual, passionate way. He got a little crinkle in his forehead that Elena loved to tease him about. _She missed talking to him._

"Okay, okay. I'll tell him. I just need a drink in me first." Elena told her.

"Ugh, finally. Go get him." Katherine said while pushing Elena in his direction.

Damon looked over in their direction, but Elena ignored him and made a beeline straight for the spiked punch. Against her better judgement, she downed glass after glass, trying to gain some boldness.

Elena was on her third glass of punch, _and she was feeling good. _She made her way over to Damon and Stefan, mostly stumbling in the process. She poked Damon in the shoulder to get his attention.

"_You're pretty." _Elena told him while trying to stifle her laughter.

"And you're drunk." He said, looking at her with a smirk on his lips.

"I need to tell you something." She told him with a serious look on her face.

"What is it, Elena?"

"I am... _going to puke._" She said while running off to the bathroom.

_Well that was weird, Damon thought. He was going to need to have a serious talk with sober Elena tomorrow. She had never answered his question earlier. Did she have feelings for him?_

He began to walk over to Rose and Liam to join their conversation, but what he heard Liam say stopped him in his tracks.

"_I'm going to propose to Elena on Christmas." _Liam said.

"_Aw, good luck!" _Rose told him.

Damon stood there frozen in place. _The girl he had been in love with for ten years was going to be engaged in less than 48 hours._


	8. Christmas Eve

_Christmas Eve_

Elena woke up with her head pounding and her stomach being twisted into knots. _Ugh, she hadn't been this hungover since college._ She slowly sat up and took in her surroundings-ugh, she was still in her red dress, and her last night's makeup was smeared all over her pillow.

_Why did she get drunk again? Oh right, she was going to spill her guts to Damon. Maybe alcohol wasn't the best approach..._

Liam walked in holding a plate of toast and a glass of water, "Good morning, sleeping beauty. Eat this, _doctor's orders._"

"Thanks." She murmured while rubbing her temples.

"Just don't take too long, we need to go to the hospital." He smiled.

"_Did Care have the baby?"_

"Yep, a few hours ago. Klaus called and said she's ready for visitors."

"Okay, I'll be ready in a few minutes." Elena said while quickly getting to her feet.

She rushed to the bathroom and jumped into the shower, washing her hair as quickly as possible. She got out and glanced in the mirror-Elena still kinda looked like a hot mess but there were more important things at hand. She threw on some clothes, ate the toast, and they drove to the hospital.

Liam and Elena found Caroline's hospital room in the maternity ward and went inside, revealing all of their friends hovering over a beaming Klaus who was holding a tiny bundle in his arms. Elena joined the rest of her friends and gushed over the little girl.

"What's her name?" Elena asked.

"Elizabeth after my mother." Caroline told her.

Elena took Caroline's hand in hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. Caroline had recently lost her mom to cancer, and it was still really hard for her to talk about.

* * *

Damon glanced at Elena and took in her messy appearance. _Of course, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Somehow her wet hair and the dried mascara underneath her eyes made her even more so in Damon's eyes. _He wanted to make a comment about her drunken state last night, but decided against it.

_He wished Liam wasn't there. Not only because he despised the guy, but Damon desperately needed to tell Elena how he loves her before she gets engaged to Liam tomorrow._

Damon, Stefan, and Katherine left soon after to give the new parents more space. He gave Elena one more longing glance before shutting the door behind him.

The three of them walked to the hospital's parking garage in silence until Damon spoke.

"Did you guys know that Liam is proposing to Elena tomorrow?"

They both looked shocked for a second before composing their expressions.

"Well, what are you going to do?" Stefan asked him.

"I don't know...I mean, I have less than 24 hours to tell her how I feel."

"Ugh, listening to you and Elena makes me want to tear my hair out. _Damon, just tell her how you feel already._" Katherine complained.

"_What do you mean? What did she tell you?" _Damon inquired.

"Girl code. My lips are sealed. You just need to talk to her, okay?"

They got into their respective cars and started the drive home. _Was Katherine implying that Elena had feelings for him? It would explain her weird behavior towards him the past few weeks. _Hope swelled up into Damon at the realization. _Maybe he had a chance with Elena after all..._

* * *

After taking turns holding baby Elizabeth and chatting with Caroline and Klaus, Liam and Elena decided to head off to give them some time alone. They drove back to Elena's apartment mostly in silence.

"Well, I better head back to my place. Are we still on for tonight?" Liam asked her.

"Of course." She said and gave him a chaste kiss.

They got out of her car, and he started walking to his own car that was parked on the street.

"Oh, you forgot your jacket in my car." She said as she went back to retrieve it for him.

As Elena grabbed the jacket, she felt something large in his pocket. Curious, she reached in and produced a velvet box in her hand.

"What's this?" She asked him.

Liam took the box away from her and got down on one knee.

"I wanted to do this a different way, but...I love you, Elena. You have made me happier than I thought I could ever be, and I would like to spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way. Will you marry me?"

Liam opened the box and revealed a large diamond ring. He stared up at her, awaiting her answer.

Elena covered her mouth with her hands in shock. Tears involuntarily streamed down her cheeks.

"I…"

* * *

It was around 9 o'clock at night when Damon had finally worked up the courage to drive to Elena's apartment and confess everything to her. He made his way to the front door and knocked three times. _He could do this._

The door opened, revealing a surprised Elena. Her eyes were red and puffy-had she been crying?

"What are you doing here, Damon?" She asked him.

He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and gazed into her brown doe eyes. His fingers lingered on her cheek, and she curled into his touch.

"Elena...I know you're with Liam, but I just _need _you to hear this just once. _I'm in love with you. _I have been since I first saw you in math class our freshman year of high school."

"_Damon…" _She started.

"I know, I know...you're with Liam. But I just thought it was Christmas...and on Christmas you tell the truth."

He sighed and started to head back to his car when Elena grabbed his wrist and held him back.

"_Damon," _she started again, "you didn't let me finish. _I'm in love with you, too. _I mean, how could I not be? _It's you."_

Damon nodded his head at her confession before pulling her face to his and crushing his lips against hers. Elena immediately responded and wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her thighs, and she wrapped them around his waist, grinding her hips against his growing erection.

He walked them inside her apartment then pinned her against a wall. She ran her fingers through his hair and lightly tugged, eliciting a groan from him. Damon cupped her breast and teased her through the thin material of her tank top.

"_I need you." _Elena moaned in his ear.

_Damn, Damon never thought that he would hear those words come from Elena. _His desire for her grew even more. He carried her into her bedroom and set her down on her bed. Damon hovered over her and pulled her into a searing kiss.

Suddenly, Damon found himself on his back with Elena straddling his hips. She quickly pulled her tank top over her head and went to work on unbuttoning his shirt. In a frenzied passion, the two of them discarded their clothes.

He pinned her to the mattress and kissed her-never getting enough of the feeling. She wrapped her legs around his waist and teased him with her dripping folds. Damon groaned at the sensation.

"_Are you ready?" _He asked her.

"_Yes." _Elena moaned huskily.

He entered her slowly to let her get used to his size, and Elena cried out in pleasure.

"_Harder." _She breathed out.

Damon didn't need to be told twice. He thrusted into her at a deeper angle which caused Elena's legs to begin to shake around him.

"_God, Damon. I'm so close."_

He was right on the edge with her. Years of built up sexual tension was finally being released. He reached between their bodies and stroked her _there. _Elena's body started to convulse from his touch.

"_Damon!" _She cried out.

He felt her walls tighten around him and _he lost it._

"_Elena." _He groaned.

The two of them laid there, cuddled up to each other, enjoying the moment. Damon stroked her hair while she pressed her face deeper into his chest. _God, Damon had been waiting for this moment for ten years and it was better than anything he had ever imagined._

But then, he remembered _Liam_ and broke the silence.

"So, what now? What about you and Liam?" He asked her.

"Actually...Liam proposed to me today."

He immediately looked at her hand, searching for a ring on her finger.

"I told him that I couldn't marry him, Damon."

"Being a doctor wasn't enough?" He smirked.

She looked up at him and stared into his eyes.

"Him and I live very different lives," she reached up and cupped his cheek, "and I couldn't marry him when _I'm madly in love with you."_

She crushed her lips to his and Damon deepened the kiss. He rolled her body underneath his and gazed into her brown eyes.

"I'm madly in love with you too, by the way." He smiled.

Elena laughed and brought his lips back to hers, and they continued like that for the rest of the night.

* * *

**Happy Thanksgiving!**


	9. The End

_Christmas Day_

Elena snuggled closer to the muscular arms that were holding her captive. _Damon._ She hoped that this was the way her days started for the rest of her life.

She felt him start to stir, so she began peppering kisses on his chest. Elena then moved upwards, kissing the underside of his jaw.

"Mhmm...merry Christmas, Elena." He murmured.

"_Merry Christmas, Damon." _She said in a seductive voice.

Elena pulled him into a searing kiss, and Damon responded by sitting up and pulling her into his lap. She felt him harden underneath her, and she teased him with her arousal.

Damon caressed her breasts, then her stomach, then her hips with his fingers-leaving Elena's skin on fire in its wake. He reached between their bodies and teased her clit, and Elena gasped at the sensation.

"_I want you right now, Damon."_

He flipped her over so that she was underneath him and entered her in one fluid motion. Elena cried out in ecstasy.

Damon held her thighs and drove into her deeper and faster. Her legs began to shake from the pent up tension.

"_God, Damon. I'm so close." _Elena called out.

He wrapped her legs around his shoulders and thrusted into her at a different angle. Elena felt like her body was going to combust from the intensity. Her walls tightened around him and they both fell over the edge together.

Damon and Elena laid there for a few minutes, trying to catch their breath. He turned to face her and smiled.

"That was one hell of a Christmas morning. I gotta say that was significantly better than any gift I have received, including the year that I got the Death Star Lego set." He told her.

"I don't know...the present that I got you is pretty good. Stay there."

Elena got up to get Damon's gift that she had hidden in her closet. She felt Damon ogle her ass. She looked back at him and rolled her eyes.

"What? _I'm just enjoying the view."_ He said while he held his hands up in surrender.

She handed him a box wrapped in snowmen wrapping paper. He tore it off and opened the box, revealing the _Gone With the Wind _book that lay inside. She watched him stare at it in awe as his fingers trailed over the cover.

"_I love it, Elena. Thanks." _Damon said before pressing his lips to hers.

Before things could get too heated again, he stopped and went over to his jacket to retrieve a box from his pocket. Damon placed it in her hand and watched for her reaction.

Elena lifted the lid and stared at the beautiful silver locket that sat in the box. _It looked just like the one that her parents had gotten her that she lost._

"Flip it over."

She flipped the locket over and read the engraved message: "_From Damon With Love."_

Tears formed in Elena's eyes, and she was left speechless. She moved her hair out of the way, and Damon placed the locket around her neck. He opened it and showed her the pictures that were inside-_her parents._

Elena grabbed Damon's face and passionately kissed him. He deepened the kiss, and their tongues fought for dominance. She then pulled back, and Damon brushed away a tear on her cheekbone.

"_I love you, Damon."_

"_I love you, too." _

And then he pulled her into another kiss.

* * *

_New Year's Eve_

Damon and Elena arrived to Katherine and Stefan's house for their New Year's Eve party a half an hour late. Elena looked in the tiny mirror in the car, trying to fix her smudged makeup before they went inside. Then, she caught a glimpse of the time on her phone.

"Shit. We are so late." She cursed.

"_We would have been on time if someone could've kept her hands to herself." _He smirked.

Elena rolled her eyes at him. Her hormones were currently running rampant and the sight of Damon in his tight black shirt…

They made their way to the door, holding hands. With his free hand, Damon knocked on the front door. After a few moments, an annoyed Katherine opened the door.

"_What took you two so long?" _She asked, miffed.

A very tired looking Caroline caught sight of the two of them and suddenly looked very energized.

"YES! Finally!" Caroline exclaimed.

"What's going on?" Stefan asked.

"You two are finally together! Tell us the story!" Caroline said, excitedly.

Elena and Damon relayed the story of how they got together to the group.

"...and then she told me that she loved me too and then jumped my bones." Damon said.

Elena slapped his arm. "I'm pretty sure _you _were the one to jump my bones."

They laughed at each other, and their friends smiled at the two of them bickering.

"Ooh it's almost midnight!" Caroline said.

The group turned their attention to the T.V. and watched the ball start to drop in New York.

_Five, four, three, two, one_

Damon crushed his lips to Elena's, and she smiled into the kiss.

_It was going to be a great year._

* * *

_Six months later…_

Elena was running around the grocery store like a madwoman. Today was Damon's birthday and their was so much to do still. She headed down the baking aisle, picking up ingredients to make a birthday cake from scratch. _She wanted to make his first birthday that they were together for perfect._

She was so distracted that she didn't notice the body that she had just collided into.

"I'm so sorry...Liam?"

"Hey, Elena. How are you doing?" He asked her.

"I'm doing good, just picking up some stuff for Damon's birthday." She said while holding up her basket full of baking supplies. Elena saw the silver wedding band on his ring finger. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"Rose, actually. We got together after the two of us broke up and got hitched three months ago."

"That's great! I'm really happy for the two of you." She told him sincerely.

"Well, I gotta run. Pregnancy cravings." He said while holding up a pint of ice cream. "I'll see you around, Elena."

Elena smiled and waved goodbye to him. She was glad that the two of them found each other.

_It's kind of funny, she thought to herself._

Without Liam or Rose, her and Damon might've never admitted their feelings for each other. It took their jealousy for them to work up the courage.

And without Damon and Elena, Liam and Rose would've never met and fallen in love.

_Everything truly happens for a reason._

_The End_

* * *

**Thank you all for the awesome reviews! I really enjoyed writing this story and can't wait for the next one!**


End file.
